The domain of Dean Frizzle is buzzing with activity as science students are working in their labs or attending lectures, cramming for tests in hallways and revising notes during open lab times. Medical students are hard at work with learning chemistry and biology and sophomores are starting to get their first tastes of the clinic work, following around doctors and upperclassmen taking notes.

Across the bridge unicorns are successfully not imploding the magic building, an impressive feat for midterms. Classes go on, tutoring sessions are in full swing and many spells are being attempted, several are even having success.

Ivy led Chitin across the campus in barely contained gleeful silence. As they arrived at the greenhouse door, she pulled the key back out of her pocket and put it in the door. She paused and turned around slowly, "A few things before we go in. Don't touch the plants.The trees are alright, but some of the smaller, more colorful flora are the nasty ones. Some of them are carnivorous and some are just toxic. And some have a nasty sense of humor. They won't hurt me, but I can't always guarantee that for others. Don't be deceived by their pretty colors." She said with a nod and opened the door. Warm, humid air flowed through the door, and as she turned on the lights, a tropical paradise came into view, verdant and smelling of moist soil and greenery. "Welcome to my home away from home away from home." She grinned, leading Chitin through the door.

Hearing that some of the plants were actually dangerous, even carnivorous, Chitin made sure to not get close or even dare touch any of them. Following Ivy into the greenhouse, he felt a wave of humidity and warmth as the mare turned on the lights, revealing the veritable ocean of green. Throughout it however, he could see reds, blues, purples and yellows of every shade, it was almost like looking at a large aura of all emotions all at once. "It's absolutely beautiful." the changeling gapped, it was unlike anything he had ever seen. Moreover it was something that everyone could see, not just him.

Turning to Ivy he noticed her aura was once again, a rich viridian fitting for the environment around her. Looking around to the nearest plants he inspected each of them at a safe distance so as not to incur their possible wrath, "Wait you said nasty sense of humor? How could a plant have a sense of humor? I, I mean I've heard that some like music but jokes?"

Ivy let out a giggle and swept her arms out wide. "Some of the plants like to lure ponies to touch them, usually the ones that cause itching or other unfortunate side effects. Take this one for example." She said as she knelt down to brush aside some leaves and reveal bright blue flowers resembling lilies but close to the ground. "These are called poison joke. They cause a variety of unfortunate side effects, almost always rather amusing. The remedy is a simple herbal bath, but it can get quite embarrassing." She giggled, letting the leaves fall back into place. She moved a bit further down the path and knelt down near a patch of dark, very wet soil. "And these here are carnivorous plants. They lie in wait for an unsuspecting insect to trigger these guard hairs, and quickly snap their leaves closed to digest it. This is called a snap-trap method." She said, gently brushing a few guard hairs and watching the leaf snapped closed. She stood up and turned, "It's a good idea to keep in mind that if it's brightly colored, usually it's toxic, or an irritant. Usually green is safe, but not always. Keeping on the path is the safest bet, although, the trees are good for climbing." She said as she motioned to the taller trees that stood tall with lower branches.

"I'm sorry. I get a little carried away in here. It's not often that we have visitors."

"No no don't apologize!" Chitin replied, "this is all very fascinating. Though what about lilies, or daisies or flowers like those? You were saying that bright colorful flowers were irritants or toxic of some kind, but I don't think those are, at least I hope they aren't. Kind of ruins the whole portrayal of them being symbols of peace and kindness if having them caused you to break out in a rash." the changeling continued, now rather curious about the entire situation. Roses had thorns that much was true, which could be considered and irritant he guessed, if one was merely irritated by stabbing needles. "Wait so the poison joke for example, you were saying before that it plays tricks, does it do that to you as well? Do some plants have preferences on who they actual use their defenses on?"

Ivy shook her head, "Most of the time, the well known flowers are well known for a reason, for beautiful color and scent, without the irritation of some of their more noxious cousins. Lilies, daisies, violets, they're all harmless unless you have a pollen allergy. However, many are related to other plants with more insidious designs." She said, taking a seat on a low hanging branch. "Strangely, I've never been on the receiving end of their mirth. It could be that I have slow acting histamine reactions, or a higher resistance to toxins and irritants, though I like to attribute that to the fact that I feed them by hand every day. You can never say a plant isn't thankful for the care. And they have used their defenses... a couple of times... selectively. On ponies who thoughtlessly grabbed them, tried to pick them, or on a few occasions, made fun of me for all the time and care I put into them. Strange happenings happen more often with them when I'm around." She said with a shrug, "But it's always been that way, for as long as I can remember. I could hear them laughing in the dew dripping off their leaves, or hear them giggling in delight as I fed and watered them. I could feel their roots wrapping around my fingers during replantings, almost like they were clinging. I know it sounds silly, and I'm probably just imagining it because I'm lonely? I don't know." She murmured, running her fingers delicately over the bark of the branch she sat on.

Chitin listened as the mare spoke of her experiences of howe the plants never harmed her, or in some cases defended her. He had never heard of plants acting that way, well not normal plants that is everything like that came from stories or tales told by the elders but it actually happening in reality? As odd as it sounded, there was certainly a possibility, after all he had the ability to change his very appearance in a matter of seconds, if he could do that why couldn't plants talk. "Well, well what if you are right? What if it isn't just your imagination, just something that you can tell because of your talent, like how I can see aura's because of my race. How you describe it, it sounds like many drones trying to protect their monarch. I mean its natural for those to want to protect their caretaker or leader. Though I can't say that I've ever heard of it. But even if I haven't it doesn't mean it can't happen. I mean can you say that you'd ever be talking to a duplicate of yourself right now?"

She tittered into her sweater sleeve, her wings unfurling from her back as she relaxed on the tree branch, feeling substantially more at home. "That's true. Plants wouldn't even bloom or grow like this for my mother. She's a botanist, just like I want to be. But a lot of the more temperamental plants didn't really thrive back home... That's where I got my... my thesis study plant." She said as she shoved off the branch and floated lightly to the ground as an autumn leaf. She walked over to a group of bushes and pushed the branches aside to reveal a knee high, while trimmed shrub with bright white and red flowers. She lowered her voice to a whisper and made a motion for Chitin to lower his voice as well. "This is my study plant, Ascelepia Veritas Corona, the Pure Heart plant. Its leaves are incredibly toxic if eaten, but its flowers are medicinal, and are an herbal remedy for hemorrhaging and bleeding disorders. It could be a very good key to treating heart problems. Sadly, they are very rare, even in the wild, and don't grow very well in captivity, and can be temperamental. I found this one languishing in my mother's greenhouse. I think my father was going to sell it... So when I came here, I took it with me. It's doing much better here, I think." She murmured softly.

Following after Ivy, the changeling knelt down, observing the small plant she had pointed out, listening intently, "Wait, its leaves are toxic, but the flowers can help all of that? How does that work?" Chitin whispered, "Do the leaves just accumulate the toxins it takes in? But then how does that leave the flower to have such potent medical effects? Also doesn't it harm the plant to have its flower removed? I mean take us changelings for example we may take either emotion or someone to syphon off some emotion, but never permanently and we always return them and remove ourselves. That's where you get those missing minutes or the people the wake up not able to remember the night before. Though can't lie your alcohol does help with that. A-anyways, what I'm getting at is, doesn't removing such a large portion of the flower hurt it in the long run?" Chitin finally asked, getting back to his original point.

Ivy smiled gently, "The flower's petals fall off naturally to produce the fruit. That' is the best time to get them. They are ripe and already dried. The fruit is toxic too, but the petals are different from the rest of the plant. The toxin in this plant causes blood to clot rapidly, but the toxin in the petals when they are ripe is much more diluted, and useful. But I am not growing it for its flowers. I just want to see it thrive. It's a delicate exchange. I give water, nutrients, light and soil. Soft music sometimes. That's what you do when you love something. You give, but ask for nothing in return." She said with a smile, letting the branches fall back into place.

Chitin let out a soft sigh as the two moved away from the plant. If giving but never expecting anything in return really was what love was, he felt a bit dejected, since his kind needed it to simply survive. Taking such a thing not only away from its intended recipient but then using it as food was beginning to feel like a truly selfish reason. "Well...what do you think of us changelings then? You give this to someone but then we steal it away from them, using it to nourish ourselves? It feels rather shameless and destructive saying it out loud. Like taking the petals of your flower and dashing them away..."

Pulling out of the driveway, Liberty grins at Kerrigan, "Hey, it's no problem, Besides, I can't teleport myself home if you zapped us there."

A few minutes later, Liberty Walk pulls his car into the South parking lot. As he looks for parking, a worried look crosses his face "Um, Hey, just a thought... If they're going to have a decontamination team to their house, am I gonna have to have one to my car, now that we're all in it?" He parks his car in a less-populated corner of the lot, just in case.

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.-Albert EinsteinLiberty's theme

Longshot spent the ride in silence, a bit frightened. He reminded himself that his flying friends had carried him along at a quicker pace than this, it was just the unknown of how the vehicle moved. The sky wagons back home never made this much noise... He wound up drifting off into his own thoughts.

Liberty's comments brought him back to reality, however strange a reality it was. "Why don't we see if I'm carrying anything dangerous to you all first?"

"Depends on if you are carrying anything harmful. If you are not, then there's no need for decontamination," Kerrigan said, stepping out of the car and stretching her wings gratefully. "A pity it's so late, the view is quite picturesque. At any rate- most of the school facilities are open at all hours to accommodate our nocturnal students. Each building is named for a constellation- and that constellation is arrayed on the sides of the edifice as well as the roof, for all our flying students to be able to navigate the campus while in flight. The building we are passing now is Telescopium, where the Arcane Studies department operates, as well as theastronomy, weather control, and theoretical sciences departments. Magic and weather related fields," Kerrigan said, folding her wings back across her chest.

"This building is Phoenix, where the 'hard sciences' reside. Physics, chemistry, Biology, and the like. The sleep study lab is in this building, so we will be coming back here later. Dean Frizzle is most excited to have a guest in the sleep lab- mostly it sits unused, aside from nocturnal students trying to acclimate themselves, or astronomy students trying to do the same in reverse. Pre-med is located ahead, in the Microscopium building, which is our destination," Kerrigan said, as they approached. A group of nursing students were there to greet them, dressed in hazmat suits. Kerrigan merely nodded and let them be led inside, into a bubble hyperbaric chamber. A boisterous unicorn with crazy red hair barely contained in her hazmat suit cam strolling up to Kerrigan, smiling broadly. "Hello, Dean Frizzle," Kerrigan said, nodding curtly.

A few minutes with what looked like a metal detector wand later, and Kerrigan and Liberty were pronounced clear. It took longer with Longshot, and although the microbe-detector found higher than normal levels of some pathogens, they were all of the same strains present in Equestria and deemed safe. "I am grateful your design has proven itelf to be so effective. I did not relish the idea of a chemical shower," Kerrigan said to Dean Frizzle, giving her the barest of smiles.

"One of these days, Kaykay, you're going to loosen up and have some fun. And I'm going to be there when you do!" Dean Frizzle said, pulling her helmet off and giving her a wink. "As for you boys- you're all clear, too. Though you in particular should probably take more baths," she said to Longshot, laughing. "I'll let Doc know everything's fine. The lab's all set too, so our guest can get settled in right away. Anything else you ned?"

Last edited by captain_borgue on Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Longshot just quietly took in the campus and the dragon's speech. Something in his head... itched, and he couldn't figure out what caused it for the life of him. He realized it, strangely enough, when he saw the students; the campus was alive. No crumbling ruin, it was maintained and, as Kerrigan stated, was in constant use. He realized that the Doctor's home had felt like a safe haven, but he had subconsciously been expecting more ruins beyond it.

In short, the problem was that there was no danger, or even any possiblity of one. Longshot had come to expect that the moments he felt safest while outside places like Tenpony Tower were often when he was in the most danger and his subconscious had gone into high alert to prevent a lapse.

The newest arrival had actually settled him down. A hazmat suit, even in such an unfamiliar shape, was something a reasonable pony wore while checking irradiated ruins and was a common sight. Seeing her so casually take her helmet off actually helped to put him at ease. "A bath would be great," Longshot said. "A place with enough spare clean water to make bathing viable was pretty rare where I'm from."

"I... doubt it. Not tonight at least. I'm just going to sleep tonight, unless I can get that bath of course." Longshot wondered at the pegasus, honestly having not given him much thought before now. He certainly seemed be going out of his way to be nice, though. Probably wanted something from him, which wasn't terribly unusual for Longshot, being a mercenary. He just wished the guy would say whatever it was he wanted.

"Unfortunately, the bathroom here in the sleep lab isn't equipped with showers. The gym is nearby and has plenty," Kerrigan said, motioning for Longshot to follow. "Mr. Walk, I do have a favor to ask of you, as well. You and Longshot are of a similar build, take this-" she said, fishing a gift card out of her pocket, "and go down to the bookstore and pick out some clothes for our guest- and something for yourself as well, as recompense. Please keep the receipt, I will want to see it when you get back. Oh, and please limit it to apparel," Kerrigan said, almost smiling.

"This is the Orion building," Kerrigan announced as they approached. "Which contains the gymnasium, skate rink, indoor track, weights and exercise room, combat arts dojo, and swimming pool. The showers here are always available, though early mornings tend to be the busiest time. Normally students are required to bring their own towels, but I will get one for you from the fitness room. A moment," she said, before walking down a side hallway and returning with a large towel that was once white, but had become a little worse for wear and turned a bit grey. "I will stop by the sleep lab at 8 am for you. That will give me enough time to make arrangements for you to get on a campus meal plan."

Ivy shook her head and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Your nature is your nature. You can't be blamed for nature, as much as you might blame yourself. You can't help your natural needs, just as my sweet sundews can't help the fact they need insects to survive. It's what you do with what you can control that matters. I don't mind if you feed off my emotions, Chitin, such as they are." She said gently, her voice as soft as if she were talking to her plants. "You are free to live as you please in this place. To be your own leader, you make your own choices. You're free to be yourself here. And should anyone be unkind, know that it is because they do not know you, and if they don't want to get to know you, there are much more worthwhile uses of your time. I had to learn that in school.

Chitin blinked, he had never before found anyone...willing, to let him feed off their emotions. The thought seemed so out of the ordinary, like finding a new color never before seen or something just as unheard of. Looking himself over Chitin tried to find something to say, some form of thanks to fully express his gratitude for her acceptance of everything that he was. Starting to feel a bit choked up, the changeling, felt himself blinking more and more, until simply had to turn away. "T-Th*ahem*Thank you very much Ivy." He said, his voice, faltering for a moment. "I-I should try and change back..." Clenching his eyes, Chitin felt two trails of tears begin to fall form his eyes before they and the rest of his disguise quickly burned away with his metamorphosis back into his charcoal form, opening his eyes, he rubbed at them hoping that they were dry, before turning back to Ivy with a forced smile on his face. "There all better. I'm sorry I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record. Saying thank you all the time...then apologizing." He couldn't hold the smile, let it go with a sigh, Chitin let his shoulders droop, "Uh, do, do you like ice cream or...or something? I, ugh, I can't lie I'm starting to run out of things to really talk about. Aside from changeling things or impersonating someone, I don't have much experience with trying to hold the attention of a pretty mar-" Feeling himself rambling a bit, the changeling quickly covered his mouth, ceasing the sentence.